A big part of this debate is always personal musical preference in regards to each individual guitarist named.

Some people like Jimi Hendrix a lot more than Jimmy page b/c they like Hendrix songs more than they like Zeppelin songs. Doesn't make either guitarist truly better (with exception to some technical differences). To comment that SRV or Hendrix creating some moving and awe inspiring music as an argument to their greatness over a Page is being disingenuous and obtuse in not recognizing that Page too was a HUGE part of some incredible awe inspiring music. Page's versatility was sickening, if he went a different route where he was bigger than his band (obviously he wasn't in LZ) then he just might be considered the best without question compared to the others who WERE their bands.

If you took personal recognition and overall band success out of the equation a guy like Eddie Van Halen would probably be considered the best more often than he is or more often than most others. But saying EVH is the best some how implies Van Halen the group was the best, albeit while they were not it is not a fair assumption to make if EVH gets thrown into a debate like this.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

FUDU wrote:A big part of this debate is always personal musical preference in regards to each individual guitarist named.

Some people like Jimi Hendrix a lot more than Jimmy page b/c they like Hendrix songs more than they like Zeppelin songs. Doesn't make either guitarist truly better (with exception to some technical differences). To comment that SRV or Hendrix creating some moving and awe inspiring music as an argument to their greatness over a Page is being disingenuous and obtuse in not recognizing that Page too was a HUGE part of some incredible awe inspiring music. Page's versatility was sickening, if he went a different route where he was bigger than his band (obviously he wasn't in LZ) then he just might be considered the best without question compared to the others who WERE their bands.

If you took personal recognition and overall band success out of the equation a guy like Eddie Van Halen would probably be considered the best more often than he is or more often than most others. But saying EVH is the best some how implies Van Halen the group was the best, albeit while they were not it is not a fair assumption to make if EVH gets thrown into a debate like this.

I've never heard SRV's music described as moving and awe inspiring. Phenomenal guitarist, up there with the best obviously, but his actual musical accomplishments aren't on the level of Hendrix or Page IMO. I'd rather listen to a Jerry Garcia, who was a great great guitarist even if not in the top echelon but made music that is more interesting (at least to me) than a guy like SRV or EVH.

I know more about pizza than you. Much more in fact. - Cerebral_DownTime

Galley Boys are slop on top of a so-so burger and a bun you coulde get from a Covneninet food mart generic pack. They the Antoine Joubert of burgers; soft, sloppy, oozing grease and cheap sauce and extremely overrated by a biased fan base. Proof that if you throw enough cheap sauce shit on a burger you still can't overcome the lame burger. -JB

Big Money Player wrote:I like his music, but for some reason his playing seems to be nothing special to me...

Seriously. How can Hendrix compete with the genius who composed this

Poignant.

At least EVH is also considered one of the best. He's got guys I've never even heard of on his list (not that I'm a music professor but I know pop culture pretty well). The guitarist for Dream Theatre is #3 and he's also got the guitarists of both Journey and Triumph as better than Hendrix (I had to look up all their names).

Hendrix did stuff that people still can't do today. Hell if it weren't for him half the people on all these lists probably never would have picked up a guitar.

At least EVH is also considered one of the best. He's got guys I've never even heard of on his list (not that I'm a music professor but I know pop culture pretty well). The guitarist for Dream Theatre is #3 and he's also got the guitarists of both Journey and Triumph as better than Hendrix (I had to look up all their names).

Hendrix did stuff that people still can't do today. Hell if it weren't for him half the people on all these lists probably never would have picked up a guitar.

There are plenty of guitarists that have done things that others have not replicated. Quite a bit of Hendrix's stuff had to do with knowing how to properly milk an amp and other effects. Nothing wrong with that, but different equipment can change what you can do.

And most of what Hendrix did was successfully replicated and taken to another level by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

And we can claim that some would not have played if not for Hendrix. But Hendrix would not have played if not for guys like Chuck Berry, Les Paul, Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, BB King, etc.

There's a long stream of people that have been inspired by others that came before stretching back millenia.

And I think some of the Hendrix mystique has to do with the drug induced hysteria that many people were in when they saw him live. Definitely talented, but the stuff I've seen and heard doesn't set him him and shoulders over every other guitarists. There've been so many great guitarists over the last hundred years with a variety of styles. Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Greg Allman, David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and the list could go on.

And I always like to bring up another of my boys, The Edge, who isn't a monster on the fret board but has also done stuff that no one has been able to replicate because of how he works with delays, splitting his signal, and creating his own effects. Few have spent as much time as he has in changing how his instrument functions and he's embraced interesting inventions like the infinite guitar, etc.

Ultimately opinions on guitarists are as subjective as opinions on music. There are a lot of different bands, guitarists, drummers, bassists that you can love for different reasons. This is what makes music so great. It's so diverse, so vast and styles can vary so much. Even slight variations can produce decidely different results. That's one reason why I love playing, writing, and listening. It's amazing how much is available to you on a fret board, on a keyboard, in a set of drums, or even in the mouthpiece and valves of a trumpet or other horn. And it's even more amazing to consider how many millions of different melodies have been written over the years going back to ancient times.

Dickey Bettes---If you've ever heard "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", "Seven Turns" or "Jessica" you know what I'm talking about. Anyone that can make a song as cool as Jessica, 10 minutes long using only 2 chords has to be on the list.

Trey Anastasio--He takes shit that's not music and makes it sound good

Warren Haynes--He's Dickey Bettes, only younger.

And CDT is right, Buckethead is up high on the list.

start about 2 1/2 minutes in:

Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even adulthood.--Howell Raines

Galley Boys are slop on top of a so-so burger and a bun you coulde get from a Covneninet food mart generic pack. They the Antoine Joubert of burgers; soft, sloppy, oozing grease and cheap sauce and extremely overrated by a biased fan base. Proof that if you throw enough cheap sauce shit on a burger you still can't overcome the lame burger. -JB